M/C Raven Trip Report 18 – Washington Coast to Stonehenge

M/C Raven Trip Report 18 – Washington Coast to Stonehenge

                      Deception Pass Bridge - look at the currents swirling under there!

From Anacortes I rode down Whidbey Island to Coupeville where I caught the ferry (I seem to be spending a lot of time on ferries on this trip) over to Port Townsend and the beginning of Highway 101.

I spent my first night on the Olympic Peninsula at the Elwa Campground then woke up early to head towards Forks to hunt Vampires and Werewolves (and pouty-faced teen-aged girls). I looked and looked but all the men I saw had abs that looked more like mine than the six-packs from the movies. Still, the trip wasn’t a complete waste: there’s a terrific campground right at the mouth of the La Push River and, just a short walk from the campground is a beach with the most amazing off-shore rock formations called “stacks.”

The large stack in the pictures was used by the local La Push tribe as a citadel when they were attacked by neighboring tribes. The whole village would relocate to the island and just wait out the attackers.

I drove down the 101 to the mouth of the Columbia River where I stayed at a Washington State campground out at the point – state campgrounds really pack the campers in like sardines then, charge a premium for the campsites. I only spent one night.

The next morning, I got up early and headed for Interstate 5 then headed east toward Maryhill and the Stonehenge Memorial. I realized that that short run down I-5 was my first time on an Interstate since I’d left Montana back in early June. I didn’t miss it at all!

There was a lot of road work going on on the road so I got near Maryhill late in the day. Looking for a place to camp, I found a free camp with a boat launch right on the river. Wahoo! Free and on the river! What could be better? Well, the reason it’s free is that the freight trains run by within 30 feet of your tent all night – I felt like I had to roll over and let them by. Still, the river view was great and, I got this great shot of a tug pushing a barge (they actually call it a ‘Tow’ even though it’s being pushed). I followed this tug and tow all the way to Stonehenge.

Taken from Stonehenge Maryhill in the foreground

Ever since visiting Carhenge I Nebraska (see Trip Report 9) I’ve been looking forward to coming to this Stonehenge Memorial. It was built just after the First World War as a memorial to Washington’s fallen soldiers. Unlike Carhenge though, this Stonehenge replica looks like Stonehenge did in its heyday, before the stones had started to lean over or fall down. Also, unlike the real Stonehenge, I was able to drive my bike right up to it and even, right inside in front of the alter stone. Can’t do that in England.

This burned tree was alongside the access road. I should have taken it as an omen. I rode away from Stonehenge straight into a disaster that kept me from updating this blog for more than 2-months.